Examples of ENSO-Society Interactions
Climate and ENSO Associations with Malaria Incidence in Colombia
Germán Poveda
Postgrado en Aprovechamiento de Recursos Hidráulicos,
Universidad Nacional de Colombia
Medellín, Colombia
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More than five million people live in malaria-prone regions of Colombia.
During 1996, transmission of malaria reached 42 cases per 1,000 inhabitants
in high-risk areas. The province of Chocó (along the Pacific coast)
experienced more than 80,000 cases during 1998 when the population at risk
was of 380,000. Malaria is transmitted by mosquito vectors such Anopheles
albimanus, A. darlingi and A. nuñeztovari, transmitting
Plasmodium falciparum (46.5%) and P. vivax (53.5%). Climate
and its variability constitute important factors to explain the incidence
of malaria in low-land tropical endemic areas of Colombia. During "normal
years", endemic malaria in those regions exhibit a clear-cut "normal" annual
cycle, tightly associated with prevalent climatic conditions, mainly mean
temperature, precipitation, humidity and river discharges In general, during
dry seasons malaria incidence increases concomitant and following periods
of reduced rainfall, and river flows, and augmented average and minimum air
temperature. (Poveda et al., 2001).
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